Another laugh.
“Are you high?”
“No way,” said Jett. “I’m still feeling the eggnog and whiskey.”
Harrison took his hand, intertwining their fingers. “Best Christmas ever.”
Harrison
“I’m going to miss you boys, but thank you for coming over for Christmas to spend time with me,” Robert said as they stood waiting for Jett to return from upstairs. “I would ask you to stay longer, but with the storm coming…”
“If the majority of our stuff wasn’t at the lake house and at risk of being buried, we would have taken you up on that.” Harrison’s gaze landed on the TV, where the weather network was displaying its warnings. “That’s Nova Scotia weather for you. We were only supposed to get five centimetres, but thirty is a little excessive.”
“You should give me a spare key,” said Robert. “I can take care of the place for you while you’re gone. Jett mentioned the cameras were all broken?”
“Kids,” said Harrison. He removed his keys from his pocket and pulled his spare off the loop. “Honestly, if you want to stay there for the winter and enjoy the place, feel free. The only stairs are on the front porch, and the spare room is clean. I have enough firewood saved to get me through two winters, so you wouldn’t run out. I can set up grocery deliveries as well, so you could relax and house sit.”
He dropped the key into Robert’s open hand, smiling at the older man. “And if you don’t want to stay, then yes, I would be grateful for the check-ins.”
“You and Jetty are coming home during the off season, right?” Robert retrieved his keys from the hook by the door and added the new one. “I know Toronto is exciting…”
“We’ll be home,” said Harrison. “I’m not cut out for city life anymore. I’d rather have Jett to myself in the quiet woods where we have our own rink and no one can bother us.”
Robert’s grin was teasing. “You’re a possessive thing, aren’t ya?”
Harrison grimaced because he was guilty as charged. “Just a little.”
Robert laughed and clapped him on the arm, his strength surprising him. “I see no problem with it. Jett needs someone like you, a man who’s completely devoted to him and his happiness.”
Harrison was that man. He would do anything to make Jett happy.
“I’ll stay at the house until April,” Robert continued, giving Harrison one last shake before letting him go. “Jetty pays for me to fly to Toronto, so I’m there for his home games during the playoffs, and sometimes I follow him to away games too. He’ll want me to stay with you guys, but try to convince him to rent me a place. You fellas are in a new relationship and need your space.”
“You’d always be welcome,” Harrison promised. Jett’s penthouse apartment was so massive that they wouldn’t have to see each other if they didn’t want to. “I don’t know what I’m in for if we make the playoffs. Care to enlighten me?”
When Robert sighed and folded his arms, that told Harrison all he needed to know.
“That bad?”
“No,” said Robert, chuffing. “He can be a very serious boy—even more so when he’s trying to make his teammates proud. He wants that damn cup, and they came so close last year…”
Harrison remembered. The Sunbursts had lost game seven in overtime after giving their all. It was devastating to watch, but working with the team after a season like that made it clear the guys weren’t upset—they were hungry.
“I can’t say anything without setting you superstitious puckheads off, but I hope you do well.” Robert loosened his posture when Jett started thumping his way down the stairs. “You’ll be fine. Just make sure he doesn’t get too stuck in his head, and you’ll survive.”
“Survive what?” Jett asked, joining their conversation. He went motionless as he looked between Harrison and his dad. “Are you guys talking about playoff shit? Please tell me you’re not jinxing us.”
Robert gestured to his kids as if to say,see?
“Ready to go?” Harrison asked, trying to avoid the pending freak-out. “You grabbed the toothbrushes, right?”
“Yes, dear,” Jett said mockingly. “I made sure to remember your expensive electric toothbrush that you never seem to use the way it was designed.”
Harrison looked to Robert for help, but the older man shook his head.
“That’s your problem now.”
“Whatever.” Jett dropped their bags and threw himself at his dad, hugging him and smacking his back hard enough to make Harrison wince. “Do you need us to get anything for you before we leave? And make sure you call Tony to plow your driveway, because I swear if I hear you did it yourself, that boat you’ve been hinting at wanting will be off the table.”
